Senate bill builds carbon capture facilities

Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) introduced a bill that would direct the Department of Energy to approve the building of at least 10 carbon capture facilities in the next 10 years.

“Serious solutions to solving climate change have to include serious investment in carbon capture and sequestration,” Walsh said.

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Before senators left on Friday for a five-week August recess, Walsh introduced S. 2776, which would force investment in new coal technologies. Walsh said President Obama’s policies to reduce carbon emissions are flawed because they don’t include investments in carbon capture.

“Montana doesn’t have to choose between good jobs and clean air,” Walsh said. “We can have both, and investing in a cleaner power sector through new coal technology and continued support for renewables and energy efficiency is the way to do it.”

President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule that would reduce the carbon emissions of coal-fire power plants by 30 percent over 15 years, but Walsh said there are other options than shutting down coal burning plants in order to reduce emissions.

Walsh faces a tough re-election in a conservative, yet environmentally vulnerable, state this November.